Can we do a career update thread?

[giantsgirl]

Mostly a lurker, but I did post a few times on these threads in the last few months. I actually had a really good interview today for a job that I really want. The hiring manager and I really clicked and she is scheduling an interview with her boss for later in the week. This job would be similar to what I do right now, but with a better commute, a bigger team to manage, more money and overall better work/life balance. I really hope this works out!

[buppy]

Another lurker but chiming in to say it was these threads that encouraged me to be more aggressive during salary talks when I took a new position last year. At the time, I considered myself to be overpaid and thought the new place would laugh and tell me to get lost if I tried to make a lateral salary move, never mind try to get a raise. I strongly considered giving a number less than where I was, call it x. Inspired by you ladies, I ended up with a raise over my previous position and 33% over x. Less than a year later and I've been promoted with a 10% raise and 10% of 1.33x is certainly more than 10% of x! On top of all that, I really really friggin' love my job! It's been a good year.

[konapoppy]

I posted a while ago about my performance award (a nice trip), but I am still not quite motivated and my boss leaving has been awful for me. I am going to take a professional certification exam this winter, so I hope that will make me more marketable.

[vigurl]

Can I do a one yr later update? So just under a yr ago I asked for panel intv advice where I had a 6 hr interview and I got the job like updated a few wks later. I am very happy in my role and employer and am being groomed for advancement opportunities. I know I only landed this job due to the advice from this board so thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Deleted]

So y'all know how insane my work has been for the last nearly-3-years. Insane enough for H to change (we worked for the same organization, then he went to the private sector but still did a lot of work with the organization. So while he was making more money, same meetings, same people, same hassles). And that through all of this I've been desperate to move to our home state. There were rounds and rounds of discussions/ arguments, I was depressed and sought counseling, contemplated totally leaving my career field (which I'm really good at!) to get away from the stress. H and i applied for jobs pretty routinely and I was a finalist for a high profile position in 2014, but didn't get it.

Well, H took his "dream job" (by title, though perhaps not location) in our home state this fall and we're moving him tomorrow! I have to wrap up obligations here, then DD and I move in early December. I had an interview last week which I felt Went really well. They called my references, but nothing firm yet. I'm a little "meh" about the organization right now. I've "Leaned In" so hard for the last 3 years to make myself marketable that I kind of want to step back. I'm also 8 weeks pregnant which makes job hunting tricky.

To top it all off, tonight H thanked me for making this move happen. He's so excited about his new job and living in a new area. It's amazing. Right now I don't have to work financially and I don't really give two shits. I won't bow out forever, but knight take a year off because I can!

I really, really love you guys, by the way. Thanks for the support over the last few years.

[idahome]

I'm in my 12 week at a job that literally fell into my lap. I didn't realize how unhappy I was at my last job and how that was negatively coloring the rest of my life.

The new job is great and I found myself working with the Director of HR on a project that has super high visibility in our organization. If we pull it off in the way we should then the value add I'm bringing to the organization in less than 6 months will be huge.

I do not like change, but it was these career threads that pushed me to make the move and I'm so glad I did. My rough days at the new job don't have the negative impact on me that my time at my last job did. I'm so grateful for the push this board gave me a few months ago.

[notzoewell]

I have a few updates. I was interviewing for some jobs in the summer but nothing panned out. However I also have a new manager who seems great so far. He actually cares about people managing and development!

I'm being promoted Dec 1 with the title I've wanted for ages and a 10% raise. He's also already hinted, based on some mtgs he's sat in on and my client feedback, he would want to push for my next promotion sooner. It usually is 2ish years from my band level to the next but I get the impression that I wouldn't have to wait that long if I continue to do well.

Also there's a local company that I interviewed with in 2012 that I really love. I was the 2nd choice and the role I wanted is yet to be filled again since then. The hiring manager asked at the time to stay in touch so I have. We have done either coffee or lunch every 6 months or so over the past 3 years. Last week we had coffee and he mentioned that next year he may be getting a new role and building up his own team. He also said he will want to chat soon about it. Soooo we'll see! It's a small firm but would be a great company to work for and skills to develop.

Tldr: this board has been great. I am in a better place at work and feeling good about the future.

[MNH2013]

I have not yet posted in these.

O&G is obviously in a downturn and I heard rumors of more layoffs. I have been searching for a path for my career for awhile so I figured I needed to basically shit or get off the pot. I signed up for a post-baccalaureate paralegal program from a great university. I started on Monday and have already enjoyed the class (I read 2 chapters ahead one night because the textbooks are actually interesting.)

[womet]

Well... Friday is my last day physically in this job. I am taking next week off to move. I'll be packing up the van with my things, some of H's winter clothes, our dog, and our 2 cats and making the drive to Maryland. I start my new job on the 19th. It's a huge change professionally, but I am really excited about it. The group I am going to is still growing, so there is room for advancement.

I am really sad to leave my current job and coworkers. My current boss is the best that I have ever had. I am going over to his house tomorrow, and I know that I am going to cry when I have to say goodbye.

And I am also going to miss our Atlanta friends, including our very own @choco. But I know that H and I will be back down here to visit.

[gt7301b]

I have an interview for the internal position I applied for in two weeks. Ahhhhh..... so long to wait!!!!

[starlily]

The selection committee for that one job which had contacted my references decided not to extend an interview to me. I knew that one was a longshot for a variety of reasons, but it still stung to get that email.

A company I had previously applied to for an attorney position, has several other new openings, one of which sounds right up my alley despite being a non-attorney position. I should apply, but haven't yet.

[bostonmichelle]

So I've applied to almost 10 jobs and have gotten 3 rejections so far. No word on the rest. Hopefully now I can actually do better at applying for jobs.

[giantsgirl]

Oct 7, 2015 3:40:06 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

These updates gave me the warm fuzzies; thanks for sharing, ladies! buppy, I especially love that you got the confidence to ask for more and that it worked out so very well for you. So happy to see the great progress and good opportunities (good luck, giantsgirl!) in your lives!

Thank you for the good wishes! I had the follow-up interview with the managers manager yesterday, went even better than the first one.  I am travelling out of the country for my current job this week, so I will talk with HR when I get back for the last step.  Hopefully they let me stay in my current job till January, so I can get my bonus from my current job. 

[M]

I can't remember if I posted in these or not but I've been meaning to share. Two weeks ago, my supervisor told me I will be getting a $250 bonus for my hard work. I was excited just because it's the govt, I didn't even know we got bonuses lol. The little things...

Then, last week I had my end of FY review. I felt like I've accomplished a lot but still have a long ways to go. Well apparently they feel I've done an amazing job taking on so many tasks and being so flexible to step in where needed. I got the highest score possible for being new (7 months) and that qualifies me to moving up a pay grade level on my 1 year anniversary...meaning a ~20% pay increase in February! Woo hoo!

About 2 months ago, H interviewed and got the job for a higher level management position after being there for only 6 months. That came with a 50% pay increase and allowed us to stop dipping into savings to pay the bills.

Once my raise goes through, we'll finally have disposable income!

[rubytue]

I've been taking a break from life for awhile - trying to be more "present in life" and less tied to my phone/computer all the time. I was hovering on the precipice of depression and about to go to the doctor for meds - mostly due to work crap and my inability to disconnect from it. So I've been working on that. And doing pretty well at it, I think. So, my apologies for dropping the weekly check-in here.

Since you last saw me, I made the cert for a team lead position, interviewed for it, and didn't get it. So I'm now up to 3 interviews in the past 6 months and 3 rejections (and far more applications that go no where, but I'm in a not-very-portable speciality in the govt and trying to lateral/promote into something else, while staying in govt, so it's tricky - at least that is what I am telling myself). All 3 positions ended up with internal promotions.

On the plus note, one of those positions was internal to my agency (office internal got it). My former big boss (now a level higher) heard I applied from my direct boss and said "Good for Ruby! She really isn't being used to her potential right now." Thanks for the vote of confidence, boss man, now do something about it lol

I am still having major issues with my direct boss's boss (current big boss). I have been trying to always have a witness when I have to talk to him, and I take a half a xanex before meeting with him. A couple of us have tried to go to our EEO person about him (bc he is far more bullying to women), but her off-the-record advice was we should just learn to accommodate him and not provoke him. Bull fucking shit, I say. I've taken to just calling him out on (semi-professionally) on his BS. Like, when he interrupts me, I will calmly stare at him, let him finish, and then continue with "well, if you would let me finish..." Or when he dismisses my issues with "whatever" I will calmly say "this is not whatever because..." (This last one got me private congratulations from many coworkers, and they have adopted it). And then I leave his office/hang up the phone and punch the wall/curse/cry.

And this is why I had to stop posting - just typing this all out gets me frustrated and down again. I feel like my only hope to get out of this situation is to leave government, and I do not want to do that for a bunch of reasons. And honestly, if I'm allowed to do my job this year, I will publish a reg that we have been trying to do for the better part of 10 years. I need to do this for me. It's the reason I do this job - to help people. My whole team is so enthusiastic bc we are actually going to do something, and they all want the win, too. So I may just sit this out for 6 or 8 months while we pull together this reg.

[rubytue]

The tl;dr of my post:
1) my big boss is still an asshole, I'm coping through witnesses and meds,
2) had/have to check out of the online world to focus on being present and to not allow myself to wallow in how miserable he is making me
3) there is no tunnel light to get away from him, but something I'm working on will be a huge win for me personally and for my team, so I may stick around for it.

[rubytue]

Oct 12, 2015 10:35:05 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

rubytue

I may be the only govie in history that doesn't get the internal promotion. I'll PM you one of these days. Very discouraging and demoralizing environment since my new boss arrived 2 months ago.

I'm in a similar place of having a hard time disengaging from the bullshit

You won't be. In my current office, 4 of the last 5 promotions have been external. Because they won't hire supervisors without supervisor experience, but they also won't give anyone supervisory experience through details or even hiring with the 1-year new supervisor probation.